


About a Name

by angellwings



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Banter, F/M, Friendship, Post-Series, Relationship(s), Santos Administration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-02
Updated: 2014-09-02
Packaged: 2018-02-15 20:25:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2242389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angellwings/pseuds/angellwings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Have you thought about what you're going to do?"</p>
<p>Donna looked up at Mrs. Santos in confusion. "About what exactly?"</p>
<p>"About your name," Mrs. Santos said as if it were obvious.</p>
<p>"Is there something wrong with my name?" Donna asked with a furrowed brow.</p>
<p>"No, no. I mean when you and Josh get married," The First Lady stated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	About a Name

**Author's Note:**

> Scribbled out this concept during a slow day at work and I'm largely pleased with the result. Josh/Donna banter is one of my favorite things ever so this fic was a lot of fun and I hope I did them justice. Enjoy!

"Have you thought about what you're going to do?"

Donna looked up at Mrs. Santos in confusion. "About what exactly?"

"About your name," Mrs. Santos said as if it were obvious.

"Is there something wrong with my name?" Donna asked with a furrowed brow.

"No, no. I mean when you and Josh get married," The First Lady stated.

Her eyes widened in shock. "Married? We just started dating, Ma'am."

"Donna, really, you've never thought about it?" Mrs. Santos asked.

"About my name or about marrying Josh?" Donna asked as she set aside her pen and her planner. Clearly they weren't going to get anything done today.

"Both."

"Well, right now, I'm focusing on making our current situation work. The President's Chief of Staff and The First Lady's Chief of Staff both have crazy schedules, you know," Donna said with a grin.

"Why exactly are the two of you bothering with dating anyway?" Mrs. Santos asked. "You have this huge history and you know everything about each other. Typically people date to build those things, but you and Josh already have them. So why not skip it?"

"Mrs. Santos…"

"I'm serious!" Mrs. Santos exclaimed with a grin. "By now you've got to know whether or not you want to spend the rest of your life with that man."

Donna grinned and then laughed lightly at the First Lady's interest before she spoke. "Just because I've decided doesn't mean that Josh has," Donna said as she blushed.

Mrs. Santos's eyes lit up and she leaned toward Donna to whisper in a conspiratory tone. "I knew it." She paused proudly before she continued. "So what about your name? Donna Lyman?"

Donna wrinkled her nose. "That doesn't flow very well."

"You're right," Mrs. Santos said with a nod. "Donna Moss-Lyman?"

"That sounds like you've gotten my name wrong and then tacked on Josh's last name as an afterthought," Donna told her with a shake of her head.

"Okay, Donna Lyman-Moss?"

She paused and then picked up her pen and scribbled it in the notes section of her planner. She grinned and stared at it for a moment before she looked up at The First Lady and nodded. "Yes."

"What are you two ladies whispering about?" President Santos asked as he entered The Residence. Mrs. Santos grinned as she spotted Josh entering the room behind her husband and gave Donna a meaningful look.

"Nothing at all, Mr. President. Nothing at all," Donna said with a smirk.

"I don't believe you. Do you believe them, Josh?" The President said teasingly before he kissed his wife on the cheek and then glanced over at Josh for his answer.

"Not even a little, sir," Josh said as his eyes met Donna's.

"Young lady, I believe lying to the President is a federal offense," Santos told Donna with a grin.

"Actually,  _dear_ , it isn't," Mrs. Santos said with a chuckle.

"It isn't?" President Santos asked Josh.

Josh shook his head. "No, sir, it isn't."

"Well, let's get to work on correcting that, Chief of Staff."

"Right away, sir," Josh said with a grin and a salute.

"You're lying, aren't you?" The President asked in a flat tone.

"No, sir, absolutely not," Josh lied with a smirk.

"Uh-huh," President Santos said with a chuckle before he turned to Mrs. Santos and Donna. "Ms. Moss, do you mind if I borrow my wife for a long romantic lunch?"

Donna grinned and chuckled before she answered. "I serve at the pleasure of the President, sir."

"You two should take a long lunch too," Mrs. Santos said as she motioned to Josh and Donna. "You work way too hard and way too often and you both barely ever leave."

"Ma'am, we have a meeting with—"

"If I find out either of you step back into this building any sooner than two hours from now you will be in very big trouble, clear?" Mrs. Santos said sternly.

"Ma'am, yes, ma'am," Josh said with a smile and a nod. "We will do as ordered."

Donna quirked a brow at Josh in surprise. "We will?"

"We will," He said with a nod.

"That's a first," Donna muttered.

"See you both in two hours," President Santos said with a light laugh as he led his wife out of the room.

Josh and Donna watched them leave the room and then Donna started packing up her bag.

"So," Josh asked. "How was your morning?"

"Unproductive. You?"

"Unproductive," He repeated. Just as Donna reached for her planner Josh picked it up off the table.

She held her breath and prayed he didn't look too closely. She just had to play along with the First Lady, didn't she? She couldn't have brushed it off and changed the subject, could she? Josh's eyes narrowed on the page and his brow furrowed.

"Lyman-Moss? You're hyphenating? Really? Should I be reading something into this? Is there a hidden message here or—"

Donna smiled brightly and breathed a sigh of relief. No overreaction, no freak out. Just banter. "Donna Lyman doesn't flow."

"Since when are names required to flow?" He asked.

"Josh, this is not a new concept. You're in politics. You must know by now that some names sound like eloquent names and some don't," Donna told him with a roll of her eyes.

"Like…Josiah Bartlet?" Josh asked with a charming smile.

Donna smiled back at him. "Yes, exactly. It just  _sounds_  presidential."

"New rule: our kids names should always sound presidential," Josh said thoughtfully.

Donna took her planner from Josh and then froze once his words sunk in. "Our what?"

"Kids," Josh repeated. "I assume we'll have one or two."

Donna smiled slowly. "You  _assume_?"

"What? Should I not have done that?" Josh asked worriedly.

"No, no. It's fine," She told him with a toothy smile. She cleared her throat and quickly changed her expression to a stern one and bumped his shoulder teasingly. "But just because you know my answer doesn't mean you don't need to ask, Joshua."

Josh picked up her bag as she finished packing it up. "That sounds like a waste of valuable time and also a bit redundant. Where are we having lunch?" He asked.

"You just used two phrases that mean the exact same thing.  _That's_  redundant. Asking me for my official opinion is not redundant. And I was thinking Milner's."

"What about JD's?" Josh asked pleadingly.

"Josh, I do not want diner food right now," Donna told him.

As they headed for the door neither would acknowledge it but they had just had their first conversation about their possible future. Maybe Josh had decided on her after all, Donna thought as they continued to discuss where to go for lunch.

"But they fix my burger just the way I like it!"

"You like it burnt, weirdo, a  _monkey_  could fix your burger just the way you like it," Donna said with a chuckle.

"Gee, what an affectionate girlfriend I have," Josh said dryly.

"You want affection? Get a dog," Donna said with a smirk and a wink.

"One of these days you're going to say that and I will actually do it," Josh threatened.

Donna laughed before she spoke. "Oh Joshua, you can't take care of yourself. Let alone, a dog." She reached up and patted his cheek as they walked. "You're really adorable sometimes. You know that?"

"So I've been told."

"Have you?" Donna asked curiously.

"No, never," Josh answered quickly. "CJ did call me sweet once though."

 


End file.
